Shasta College - A Brief History

In the Centennial year of California and Shasta County (1950), Shasta College opened its first campus. There were 26 original faculty members. On October 3, 1952, Shasta College was honored to hear President Harry S. Truman speak at the college’s Thompson Field. Shasta College extends its educational, cultural, and recreational facilities and services to all people in Shasta, Tehama, and Trinity Counties, including parts of Lassen, Modoc, and Humboldt Counties, an area that is more than 10,000 square miles, which is larger than the State of Massachusetts. An eight-member Board of Trustees, which includes a non-voting Student Trustee, represents the Shasta-Tehama-Trinity Joint Community College District.

Shasta College was founded in 1948 as part of the Shasta Union High School District. The Shasta College campus was originally a fur and trading center of the Wintu Indians, and was later owned by a soldier and his family after the Mexican-American War. After opening its doors on Eureka Way in the fall of 1950 with 256 day students, Shasta College grew so rapidly that, in 1964, voters approved a bond issue for construction of a 337-acre campus at the main campus location.

A state-of-the-art $1.5 million Early Childhood Education child care center and instructional facility opened in the fall of 2005. A new 44,000 square foot Health Sciences and University Center opened in the fall of 2007, which houses the college’s Dental Hygiene and Nursing Programs. It also serves as host to baccalaureate degree programs offered by both public and private universities. To serve its outlying areas, the Shasta College Tehama and Trinity campuses opened their doors in August 2009 and October 2008, respectively. Finally, in fall 2009, the Learning Resource Center opened on Shasta College's main campus. Housing the English as a Second Language Center, the Math and Business Learning Center, and the Writing Center, students have access to free tutoring resources in support of their educational success.

Shasta College is part of the California Community College system, which is the largest system of higher education in the world, with 113 colleges organized into 72 districts. Research has shown that students who have an A.A. or A.S. degree will make an average yearly salary which is 50% higher than a person with less than a high school diploma, and which is 24% higher than a person with only a high school diploma. The college has articulation agreements to facilitate transfer to the University of California and California State University systems, as well as many private college campuses.

The Shasta College mascot is the Knight. In 1955, the Shasta College Motor Knights Club built a knight with a suit of armor and a lance. His name is “Oakey Doaks” (named for a cartoon character of the time).

Because of the diversified goals and needs of its students, Shasta College offers a wide range of programs and services, including counseling, tutoring, financial aid, performing arts and athletic events, student activities, veterans’ services, cultural events, lecture series, workshops, and art exhibits. We have extensive offerings on the Internet and through Interactive Television (ITV). Shasta College also offers instruction and student services at the Downtown Campus, Intermountain Campus, Tehama Campus, and Trinity Campus, with each location utilizing ITV and computer-assisted learning to supplement on site courses.

Fall 2015 is the 65th Anniversary of Shasta College, serving the north state with pride and distinction.